GATOR HATERS

Maybe it was just the tint on my television malfunctioning or maybe it was CBS's broadcast going haywire, but I thought the usually bright orange helmets of the Florida Gators looked black on Saturday during its game against Georgia.

The Gators avenged a 42-30 loss to the Dawgs in 2007 by handing head coach Mark Richt his worst loss ever, 49-10. But anybody who watched that game couldn't help but notice the cockiness that seems to flow from head coach Urban Meyer down to his players. Whether it was the dozen or so throat slashes, the dancing on the sidelines during the game, the pushing and shoving and after the whistle, the embarassing antics of Brandon Spikes, the taunting of the Georgia fans in the crowd, still throwing touchdowns with the game well in hand, calling a timeout with 30 seconds left, the disgusting "walk-back" of a kick by Chris Rainey, nothing was as despicable as the way Meyer let it all go unchecked and then took his own dig at Georgia and Richt after the game was over. Maybe he'll explain that in his next book.

It wasn't always that way though. Almost two decades ago, when Steve Spurrier took over the head coaching reins in Gainesville, Florida was an easy team to root for. The Gators were set against the filthy Miami Hurricanes and the not-much-better Florida State. They were the Fun-n-Gun offense, who played in the stadium with the awesome nickname. They scored points by the ton and had a head coach that would break out quips like, "You can't spell Citrus without UT," or the classic one about Auburn's library burning down and two books being lost, one of which wasn't colored in yet. But times have changed, and the Gators, more successful than ever, are also finding themselves in the unfamiliar role as the villians in college football.

Florida found its greatest success in 1996 when the Gators lost just one game and were lead to the national championship game by Heisman-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel. The Gators' image took a little bit of a hit when Florida was awarded a second-chance game against Florida State after several other teams lost late in the year and Spurrier whined about his quarterbacks being roughed up by the 'Noles. Spurrier would last a few more years in Florida, having fully entrenched the Gators in college football's upper echelon.

The Ron Zook era that followed is remembered not only for falling short of expectations but also for the fireronzook.com website that was launched by Gator fans the day after his hiring. The Zooker lasted only three seasons and his departure marked, in my opinion, the end of innocence in Gainesville.

The Gators brought in Meyer, an easily unlikeable fellow roundly described as arrogant by fellow coaches and recruits alike. Meyer publicly begged and lobbied for his team to play in the national title game in 2006 and got his wish, marking the tenth anniversary of the school's first title with a second trophy. The accusations of Meyer run the gambit from running up the score (see Miami and Georgia 2008), illegally contacting recruits (see the story of Meyer handing a cell phone to Tim Tebow moments after the sophomore stepped off the Heisman podium last December to tell a high-profile recruit to come to Florida) and a lack of discipline in his program (see Ronnie Wilson and Jarvis Moss). Still, these are just accusations and much of the distaste for Meyer and his sanctimonious quaterback probably stem from the huge success that he's enjoyed over the last four seasons.

Tim Tebow, while breaking records and winning Heismans, is quickly becoming the JJ Redick of college football. Sporting a goofy "please-slap-my-face" smile when things are going right and crying when he loses, Tebow, and his reported 890 SAT score, has transformed the Gators from a likable program to one whose losses bring joy to legions of fans.

While nothing can be known for certain for a few more weeks, I have a sneaky suspicion the "Boys from Ol' Florida" will have something to say about this Penn State's team fate before it's all said and done. Whether the Gators will be the one-loss team that leapfrogs Penn State and cause my hunger strike outside of Dolphin Stadium or its Florida that the Lions line up against on January 8th for the National Title, I feel that Gainesville and State College are on a collision course.